81st Legislative Agenda
The Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition (TECEC) is comprised of more than 250 member organizations statewide, and works to build a high-quality, integrated early childhood education and development system for children ages birth to six. One Voice is a network of public, private and nonprofit organizations in the Greater Houston Area working together to ensure that the health and human service needs of all Texans are addressed in legislative, regulatory, funding and other public policy initiatives. Collaborative for Children (CC) serves a 13-county area in the Texas Gulf Coast and has a mission to build a strong educational foundation for young children to succeed in school and life. CC is a member of TECEC, with staff serving on its Executive Committee, and is an active partner member of One Voice. TECEC has prepared its legislative agenda (which is supported by CC and One Voice) for the 81st Legislative Session which includes the following five priorities:
Support Full-Day High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) Programs with an Emphasis on Local, Integrated Community-Based Partnerships
Support voluntary expansion of existing half-day pre-K programs to full school day with required quality supports in place, such as a maximum class size limit and teacher-to-child ratios. In addition, support the establishment and sustainability of partnerships between pre-K, Child Care and Head Start programs under the direction of local communities while supporting parents who work full-time.
Increase Reimbursement Rates Paid to Child Care Providers
Increase payment rates to child care providers serving our highest need children. The child care subsidy program, managed by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) serves the most vulnerable children in Texas and is critical in supporting families making the transition from welfare to work. Unfortunately, due to flat federal funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant and state level funding decisions mandating higher levels of direct child care services, local workforce development boards have been forced to offer providers reimbursement rates that do not cover the cost of providing services.
Support the Development of Early Childhood Professionals
Expand the pre-service training hours of child care providers from 8 to 40, and annual hours from 15 to 24. Currently, child care professionals in Texas are only required eight hours of pre-service training while a hairstylist requires 1,500 hours. In order to ensure a well-trained workforce, it is essential to increase the training hours for early education professionals with the option of these hours leading to college credit.
Maintain Support for Existing Quality Programs throughout Texas
Support existing, high-quality early education programs in local communities such as the Pre-K Expansion Grant Program (now known as the Early Start Grant); the Texas School Ready! Project: Preparing Young Texans to Learn; the Texas School Readiness Certification System (SRCS); and the Texas Rising Star (TRS) Program.
Establish a Pilot Early Childhood Behavioral Consultation Program in Texas
Support the creation of an Early Childhood Behavioral Consultation Program. Two-thirds of child care providers in Texas report caring for young children with behavioral or emotional difficulties, leading to these children being removed from care. The failure to appropriately respond to the challenging behaviors can result in these children being retained in school and/or entering more restrictive and costly programs (i.e., alternative education, mental health or juvenile justice systems). Early childhood behavioral consultation is a proven method for keeping children in early childhood education programs through technical assistance, screenings/assessments, parent education, resource and referral and training.
For High-Quality Pre-Kindergarten Programs, we recommend:
- Establishing a meaningful teacher-to-child ratio in pre-kindergarten (1:11)
- Establishing group size maximum of 22
- Extending program from half-day to full school day
- Continuing to support partnerships between public schools, Head Start and private child care programs
Regarding Reimbursement Rates for Child Care Providers, we recommend:
- Communicate impact of flat reimbursement rates on the quality of care, as well as provider's ability to serve low income children
- Request an increase in state contribution to federal child care subsidy program
- OR reduce number of children served to help child care centers better cover cost of care
For Development of Early Childhood Professionals, we recommend:
- Increase pre-service hours from 8 to 40.
- Cost-sharing structure to pay for pre-service training (public subsidy, child care programs, employees)
- Increase annual continuing education hours from 15 to 24
|
